Tooth crown and method of making the same



July 4, 1933. F." o. JAQUES TOOTH CROWN AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 2, 1932 Patented July 4, 1933 FERNANDO 0. J'AQUES, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND TOOTH CROWN AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed June 2, 1922. Serial No, 614,962.

This invention relates to an improved tooth crown and method of making the same, and more particularly to a ready made tooth 4 crown having that portion extending over 5 the labial surface of the tooth so formed as to be capable of being cut away readily without undue manipulation and without distorting the crown to form what may be termed .an open-faced tooth crown, which when in position upon the tooth is adapted toexpose a portion of the labial surface of the tooth.

It has been the practice heretofore to provide what may be termed ready made tooth crowns for use by dentists to save the trouble 5 and expense of casting or otherwise forming a tooth crown for each tooth to be crowned. Such ready made tooth crowns have been formed by drawing a gold plate into the form .of a cylinder having a closed end and then shaping the same to give the outer surface the desired configuration corresponding with that of a certain type of tooth by eX- panding the shell or closed end cylinder into .a preformed die adapted to give the same after the manner disclosed in U. 8.. Patent No. 1,121,016, granted to me December 15, 1914. It is frequently desired, however, in the application of such crowns to certain "teeth, especially those located at or near the front part of the mouth, that a portion of the labial surface of the crown be cut away to expose the tooth surface to view and avoid the unsightly appearance of a solid gold crown. In order to accomplish this result it is necessary for a dentist using such crowns to cut away a portionof the labial surface of the crown. The manipulation of the ,crown to cut out a portion thereof is extremely difficult owing to the fact that the crown shell is of thin material, capable of being easily distorted, and the fact that the greatest care is required in cutting out a part of ,the crown to leave a symmetrical opening "for exposing the tooth surface. Moreover, when cut away after this manner, the edges of the opening are usually irregular and are of the full thickness of the stock which renders them unsightly and makes it necessary to carefully grind down these edges,

the desired external shape, as, for example.

One object of the present invention is to overcome the difficulties above mentioned and provide a ready made tooth crown wherein a desired portion of the labial surface of the tooth crown may be readily removed without distortion of the crown and in such a manner as to produce any desired form of tooth exposing opening with the edges of the crown tapered to fit closely against the surface of the tooth. 6

Another object of the invention is to provide a tooth crown of this character having a portion struck out of the normal surface of the crown to define the opening and assist the operative in forming the opening in the crown. i j

A further object of the invention is the pro vision of a tooth crown of this character hav- 7 ing a narrow portion pressed out of the normal surface of the crown for defining the position and shape of an opening to be formed in the crown and capable of being out or ground away without distorting the crown to effect a substantial penetration of the crown along the line of the narrow portion.

Another object of the invention is to produce a tooth crown of this character having a part of the crownso formed as to permit its being cut or ground away to provide an opening in the crown so that the edges of so the crown surrounding the opening will be given an inclination or bevel in the act of cutting away that portion of the crown and so provide a thin edge surrounding the open mg.

Other objects and advantages of the invention relate to various improved details of construction and arrangements of the'parts as well as certainnovel steps and arrangements of steps in forming the improved tooth crown, as will be more fully set forth in the detailed description to follow.

Referring to the drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a tooth crown, illustrating one form which the inven tion may assume in practice,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the tooth crown shown in Fig. 1, taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, s

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view 9 through the tooth crown, showing one manner of cutting away the major portion of the rib, as by means of a grinding wheel, to separate substantially the portion defining the opening from the remainder of the tooth crown.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the tooth crown mounted upon a tooth, illustrating the position of the parts when the portion defining the opening has been removed and the crown located in position upon the tooth,

Fig. 5v is a horizontal transverse sectional view through the tooth and crown shown in Fig. taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 4, .and showing the shape and position of the beveled edges defining the crown opening as they appear when the crown is first fitted upon the tooth, and,

Fig. 6 is a horizontal transverse sectional view, similar to Fig. 5, showing the position of the beveled edges of the crown after they have been pressed or burnished down into contact with the'surface of the tooth.

. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herewith, 1 designates generally a formed tooth crown, having a labial surface 2 and a lingual surface 3. The labial surface is provided with a rib portion 4 which is pressed out of the normal surface of the labial portion of the crown to circumscribe and define a portion 5 of the crownfwhich is to be removed in forming the tooth exposing opening. The rib portion 4; may be formed of greater or less circumferential extent to define a larger or smaller opening of any desired shape and the transverse contour of the rib itself may be varied as desired or as may be found best adapted for the purpose.

In forming the tooth crown as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a blank of gold or other suitable metal may be drawn or pressed into the form of a shell or closed end cylinder, which shell may then be'expanded into or compressed within a suitable. mold or former to give the shell the desired external configuration and form the rib 4 therein. The mold or former is preferablyso constructed as to facilitate the removal of the formed crown, and ispro vided with a suitable recess or series of recesses so shaped and arranged as to result in the production of the raised rib 4 or its equivalent upon expanding the metal shell into the mold. While reference has been made to my previous U. S. Patent No. 1,121,016, as illustrating one form of moldwhich may be employed in shapingthe tooth crown, it is to be understood that any suitable means may be used for this purpose provided that the parts are so shaped as to produce the rib 1 or an equivalent thereof in the formation of the tooth crown and to give the crown the desired external configuration.

It will, of course, be understood that the crown may be made in a variety of sizes and that the shape and circumferential extent of the rib 4 may be varied in the different crowns to adapt them for use generally with teeth of varying size and in which it is desired to expose a greater or less portion 0 the tooth surface.

After a tooth crown of the desired shape and size has been selected by the dentist in which the position and extent of the rib 4 corresponds with the portion of the tooth which it is desired to expose, the crown may be supported in any suitable manner and the outer'surface of the rib a pressed against a cutting or grinding surface 6, as indicated on Fig. 3, of the drawing, until the raised portion of the rib is cut or ground through or substantiallythrough, as at 7, along a line substantially tangential with a portion of the outer surface of the crown to permit the removal of the portion 5 of the crown. The

lower end portion of the crown may then be cut away to fit the gum line of thetooth, and

the crown placed in position upon the tooth 8 to expose a portion 9 of the tooth through the opening 10 formed in the crown.

In this position of the parts, the edges 11 of the crown surrounding the opening 10 are beveled or inclined, as at 12, 1n grlndlng off the rib 1, and they normally project outwardly slightly from the surface of the tooth as more particularly shown in Fig. 5 of the.

drawing.

After the crown has been cemented upon the tooth 8 after a manner well known in the art, the edges 11 surrounding the opening 10 are burnished down upon the surface of the tooth, as shown in Fig. 6, to provide uniformly inclined edge portions surrounding the opening 10 which fit closely against and merge uniformly into the exposed surface 9 of the tooth.

It will be seen upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing that the inner surface 14 of the raised rib may be located substantially within or somewhat above the outer surface 15 of that part of the tooth crown adjacent tothe rib, whereby upon grinding or wearing down the outer surface of the rib substantially to the level of the outer surface 15 of the crown adjacent thereto, substantial penetration of the crown will be effected throughout the extent of the raised rib, when the portion 5 of the crownmay be readily removed. By this means the edge portions 11 of the crown surrounding the opening 10 are given their beveled or inclined shapes. as an incident to the operation of effecting the removal of the portion 5 of the crown.

a substantially continuous rib pressed out of i the normal surface of the crown upon one side thereof to circumscribe and define a portion of the crown from which the metal of the crown is to be removed in forming a tooth exposing opening.

2. A formed tooth crown having an external configuration corresponding with that of a natural tooth and having a substantially continuous raised rib formed in one side thereof, the inner surface of the rib portion being pressed out substantially into the plane of the outer surface of the tooth crown to permit substantial penetration of the crown along the line of the rib upon cutting away the rib to the plane of the outer surface of the tooth crown.

3. A formed tooth crown having an external configuration corresponding substantially with that of a natural tooth and having a substantially continuous portion struck out from the normal surface of the crown sufficiently to permit substantial penetration of the raised portion upon grinding away the struck out portion to the levelof the outer surface of the tooth crown.

4. A formed tooth crown comprising a shell having an external configuration corresponding substantially to that of a natural tooth and provided upon one side thereof with a raised portion struck out from the normal surface of the tooth sufficiently to position the inner surface'of the raised portion substantially within the plane of the outer surface of the tooth crown, whereby upon removal of the raised portion along a line of cut substantially tangential with a portion of the outer surface of the crown the edge of the crown bordering the removed portion will be inclined.

5. A formed metal tooth crown having an external configuration corresponding substantially with that of a natural tooth and having a portion of the metal upon one face thereof displaced out of the normal surface of the crown to form a substantially continuous border line circumscribing and defining a portion of the tooth crown adapted for removal along the line defined by the displaced metal.

6. The method of forming an open-faced tooth crown which comprises, forming a cylindrical shell having a closed end, shaping the shell to give it an external configuration corresponding substantially with that of a tooth, forming a substantially continuous raised rib upon one side of said tooth crown, and removing the raised rib along a line of cut substantially tangential to a portion of the outer surface of the crown to effect substantial penetration of the crown throughout a substantial portion of the extent of said raised rib.

7. In a mehod for forming an open-faced tooth crown, the step of shaping the crown to facilitate the removal of a portion of the crown, which comprises, pressing a portion of the crown outwardly beyond its initial plane and into position to permit the removal of the pressed out portion without distortion of the adjacent portions of the tooth crown, and then cutting away a part of the pressed out portion located substantially exteriorly of the main outer surface of the crown.

8. The method of forming an open-faced tooth crown which comprises, forming a cylindrical shell having a closed end, shaping the shell to give it an external configuration corresponding substantially with that of a tooth to form a crown, striking out a portion of said crown upon one side thereof of a contour to define an opening to be formed in the crown, abrading away a part of said struck out portion along the periphery thereof to effect substantialpenetration of the crown along a line defining the opening to be formed, and then removing-that portion of the crown circumscribed by the line of abrasion.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

FERNANDO o. JAoUEs. 

